Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I answered some of the question previously but I welcome the chance to answer it again. I am somewhat uneasy with other people speaking or suggesting that they are speaking for my chief medical officer. The chief medical officer in the Department and I are ad idemon this, as are my officials. Deputy Chambers does not have to take my word for it. My Department at official level, not me, wrote to the Ceann Comhairle in response to the Deputy's party leader's parliamentary questions. I believe the letter was sent on 12 February but it was certainly sent in February. As I said to Deputy Donnelly earlier, the letter says that the Minister's decision and announcement on 28 April were consistent with the advice received from his officials, and the advice of the chief medical officer to the Minister was reflected in the press statement that issued on 28 April.

I will move on the question about Dr. Flannelly and Mr. O'Brien, but I wish to be clear that the chief medical officer supported the decision I made.

As I said earlier, our text messages were even subject to freedom of information requests and published in a newspaper. We were in very regular contact on this. He, I and my Department believed it was the appropriate thing to do, not in a normal time but in these exceptional times. The Deputy used the word "evidence." There was never evidence that I intended to provide a blanket offer. I do not even know what the phrase "blanket offer" means. I do not need to explain to any woman that smear tests are carried out by healthcare professionals. Women go to see healthcare professionals. There was only ever one decision implemented. There has been a lot of focus on my tweet. My Department tweeted as well moments later and also outlined how the process would work. A press statement was issued from my Department that night. A fee was agreed with GPs. Some 110,000 women went to their GP and only 57,000 of them decided to get the repeat smear after that engagement. The Deputy has not said so today but others have said it in recent days; it would be wrong to suggest that a repeat smear was unnecessary when a woman and her GP decided together that it was the appropriate course of action, which was the case for 57,000 women but not for the other approximately 50%.

The Deputy asked me about Mr. O'Brien. I do not recall Mr. O'Brien saying that to me. That is not to say he did not do so; he may well have. I presume the Deputy is referring to the interview on the Marian Finucane show. I think Mr. O'Brien said that he believed he told me that we should walk it back. I do not recall that conversation. Perhaps he did. At the time, the Deputy's party was planning on backing a motion of no confidence to remove him from his job. That was how Fianna Fáil viewed him and his position at that time.